Manufacturers use a variety of criteria, such as the wire’s potential applications and the total cost of the project, while building a custom wire harness that helps them select the ideal wire. Since wires come in a wide choice of widths, the diameter or cross-sectional area of a wire is measured using wire “gauges”. This establishes a wire’s resistance, weight per unit of length, design expenses, and maximum current capacity. When working on an electrical project, understanding the aluminium wire gauge is essential for evaluating the ampacity of your wires or what amount of electric current a wire is capable of carrying without being harmed.
What are Wire Gauges?
A wire gauge is the measurement of the diameter of the wire. The diameter of a wire specifies the number of amperes (amps) it can carry while not overheating. If a wire overheats, its insulation may melt away, resulting in a fire.
The most commonly used equipment for wire sizing is a conventional round gauge tool. To gauge a wire, strip it and consider fitting it into the marked grooves that are equivalent in size to it. The wire should be able to flow through to the hole that needs to be closed while still fitting inside the proper size. The gauge size written is going to be the number that corresponds with the groove it fits into, which is followed by “AWG.”
Wires are assigned an AWG number by the AWG system that governs their cross-sectional area. Since a gauge wire with a lower number has a bigger diameter, it can support the highest currents.
Industry professionals can easily figure out whether a wire is suitable for a certain application by determining its gauge, as a wire’s thickness directly affects its electrical properties, like resistance and load-carrying capacity. Additionally, this information can be successfully shared between other parties, such as between consumers and manufacturers for wire selection.
Applications for Different Wire Gauges
The following are the applications of different types of wire gauges:
|
Rate Ampacity |
Wire Gauge |
Wire Use |
|
10 amps |
18 AWG |
Doorbells, thermostats, and other low-voltage applications. |
|
13 amps |
16 AWG |
Light-duty extension cords. |
|
15 amps |
14 AWG |
Outlets for the office, bedroom, and lighting circuits. |
|
20 amps |
12 AWG |
Outlets in restrooms, kitchens, and other spaces where appliances consume higher current. |
|
30 amps |
10 AWG |
Electric water heaters, electric clothes dryers, and occasionally cooktops and wall ovens powered by 240 volts. |
|
40-50 amps |
6 AWG |
Kitchen cooktops and ranges. |
|
60 amps |
4 AWG |
Large electric heaters, electric furnaces. |
Applications of wire gauges
Factors Associated with Aluminium Wire Gauge types
Certain factors associated with wire gauges are as follows:
- Diameter: The numbers on a wire gauge go from low to high; lower values indicate smaller diameters and higher values indicate larger diameters.
- Foot-per-pound: The term “foot per pound” describes how many feet of wire are required to weigh one pound.
- Area: Round wires’ cross-sectional area can be computed using the formula A= πr2, where r is half the diameter. The cross-sectional area of the wire doubles every three levels it lowers.
- Resistance: The length and thickness of a wire determine its electrical resistance. In comparison to shorter wires, longer wires offer more resistance. The thicker wire would have less resistance than the thinner wire when two wires of the same length are used.
- Current Capacity: The maximum safe current that a wire is capable of carrying is determined by its current capacity. Lower gauge wires can hold larger numbers of electrons than higher gauge wires because they are thicker.
Aluminium Gauge Chart
|
AWG |
Diameter (in inches) |
Diameter (in mm) |
Cross-sectional area (in mm2) |
Max current (amps) |
|
0000 (4/0) |
0.46 |
11.684 |
107 |
302 |
|
000 (3/0) |
0.4096 |
10.40384 |
84.9 |
239 |
|
00 (2/0) |
0.3648 |
9.26592 |
67.4 |
190 |
|
0 (1/0) |
0.3249 |
8.25246 |
53.5 |
150 |
|
1 |
0.2893 |
7.34822 |
42.4 |
119 |
|
2 |
0.2576 |
6.54304 |
33.6 |
94 |
|
3 |
0.2294 |
5.82676 |
26.7 |
75 |
|
4 |
0.2043 |
5.18922 |
21.1 |
60 |
|
5 |
0.1819 |
4.62026 |
16.8 |
47 |
|
6 |
0.162 |
4.1148 |
13.3 |
37 |
|
7 |
0.1443 |
3.66522 |
10.6 |
30 |
|
8 |
0.1285 |
3.2639 |
8.37 |
24 |
|
9 |
0.1144 |
2.90576 |
6.63 |
19 |
|
10 |
0.1019 |
2.58826 |
5.26 |
15 |
|
11 |
0.0907 |
2.30378 |
4.17 |
12 |
|
12 |
0.0808 |
2.05232 |
3.31 |
9.3 |
|
13 |
0.072 |
1.8288 |
2.63 |
7.4 |
|
14 |
0.0641 |
1.62814 |
2.08 |
5.9 |
|
15 |
0.0571 |
1.45034 |
1.65 |
4.7 |
|
16 |
0.0508 |
1.29032 |
1.31 |
3.7 |
|
17 |
0.0453 |
1.15062 |
1.04 |
2.9 |
|
18 |
0.0403 |
1.02362 |
0.823 |
2.3 |
|
19 |
0.0359 |
0.91186 |
0.653 |
1.8 |
|
20 |
0.032 |
0.8128 |
0.519 |
1.5 |
|
21 |
0.0285 |
0.7239 |
0.412 |
1.2 |
|
22 |
0.0253 |
0.64516 |
0.327 |
0.92 |
|
23 |
0.0226 |
0.57404 |
0.259 |
0.729 |
|
24 |
0.0201 |
0.51054 |
0.205 |
0.577 |
|
25 |
0.0179 |
0.45466 |
0.162 |
0.457 |
|
26 |
0.0159 |
0.40386 |
0.128 |
0.361 |
|
27 |
0.0142 |
0.36068 |
0.102 |
0.288 |
|
28 |
0.0126 |
0.32004 |
0.080 |
0.226 |
|
29 |
0.0113 |
0.28702 |
0.0647 |
0.182 |
|
30 |
0.01 |
0.254 |
0.0507 |
0.142 |
|
31 |
0.0089 |
0.22606 |
0.0401 |
0.113 |
|
32 |
0.008 |
0.2032 |
0.0324 |
0.091 |
|
Metric 2.0 |
0.00787 |
0.200 |
0.0314 |
0.088 |
|
33 |
0.0071 |
0.18034 |
0.0255 |
0.072 |
|
Metric 1.8 |
0.00709 |
0.180 |
0.0254 |
0.072 |
|
34 |
0.0063 |
0.16002 |
0.0201 |
0.056 |
|
Metric 1.6 |
0.0063 |
0.16002 |
0.0201 |
0.056 |
|
35 |
0.0056 |
0.14224 |
0.0159 |
0.044 |
|
Metric 1.4 |
.00551 |
.140 |
0.0154 |
0.043 |
|
36 |
0.005 |
0.127 |
0.0127 |
0.035 |
|
Metric 1.25 |
.00492 |
0.125 |
0.0123 |
0.034 |
|
37 |
0.0045 |
0.1143 |
0.0103 |
0.0289 |
|
Metric 1.12 |
.00441 |
0.112 |
0.00985 |
0.0277 |
|
38 |
0.004 |
0.1016 |
0.00811 |
0.0228 |
|
Metric 1 |
.00394 |
0.1000 |
0.00785 |
0.0225 |
|
39 |
0.0035 |
0.0889 |
0.00621 |
0.0175 |
|
40 |
0.0031 |
0.07874 |
0.00487 |
0.0137 |
Aluminium Gauge Chart
Conclusion
Picking the right wire size keeps your work safe and smooth. The right wire lets electricity move easily and stops wires from getting too hot. If you are looking for good aluminium wires, you can find them on L&T-SuFin. It is a trusted place to buy all kinds of tools and parts. You can choose what you need, get a quote, and order from many reliable sellers. It is fast, simple, and safe to use.
FAQs
1. What is bigger, 14 or 16 gauge wire?
14 gauge is bigger than 16 gauge. A smaller number means a thicker wire.
2. How is a wire gauge used?
It is used to check how thick the wire is and how much current it can carry.
3. How is a wire gauge calculated?
It is found by checking the wire’s width or using a small round tool that shows the size.
4. What are wire gauges in mm?
This shows the wire’s thickness in millimetres. For example, a 14-gauge wire is about 1.6 mm thick.
5. How do I read a wire gauge chart?
Look for the gauge number first. Then check the next columns to see the wire’s size and how much current it can take.
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